The Oxford High School football team practices on their new blue field in preparation for this Friday's game against Lake Orion, Wednesday August 24, 2011. (Oakland Press Photo: Vaughn Gurganian)

OXFORD -- When it was announced in January that Oxford High School was going to get navy blue artificial turf installed in its football stadium, some joked that Oxford would become "Boise State East" in reference to the fact Boise State University became famous for installing blue turf years ago.

However, Boise State has taken exception to Oxford using the term "Blue Turf."

Oxford Athletic Director Mike Watson said he received a letter of notice from Boise State's general counsel saying that the term "Blue Turf" was a 25-year trademark of theirs.

Watson said Boise State was never against Oxford putting in the turf or continuing to raise the funds to complete the full cost of the project, but Boise State just wanted to make sure Oxford by itself avoided the term "Blue Turf" in promoting the field and events on it.

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"They just said: 'We recognize that you're doing a blue field and we just want you to know that here's what you can do and what you can say and what you can't,' " Watson said. "We respect their trademark and their properties and all the things Boise State stands for. But it was flattering in a way that they were paying so much attention. Like any other college, they're paying attention to their properties. They just wanted us to know what the limits are."

So to honor those limits set forth by Boise State, Oxford is being careful to call its gleaming new artificial surface a variety of things, from "True Blue Turf" to "Oxford Blue Turf" to "Navy Blue Turf."

As long as it's not called simply "Blue Turf" by the school district, it's all good.

Regardless of what it's called, the field will finally see it's much-anticipated debut on Friday after months of counting down when Oxford takes on rival Lake Orion in the season opening football game for both.

The field cost $300,000 to put in and is finally set to be unveiled publicly to the community in a game that Watson said could draw anywhere from 8,000 to 10,000 people. Tickets will be made available for purchase 24 hours prior to the game at www.oxfordschools.org and will also be sold at the gate starting at 4 p.m. Friday.

Fans are encouraged to carpool since parking will be exclusively at the high school. There won't be any shuttle buses from nearby places transporting spectators.